A certain point of view
by Sylvia Viridian
Summary: A revisiting of the game, from the opposite perspective. Did you ever wonder what Lloyd and his friends looked like to everyone else?
1. Iselia Temple: Botta

Hey, everyone, long time no see. This is my newest project, and I really do hope to get around to finishing this one. It's basically what the summary says: I wanted to rewrite the plot of Symphonia, from the perspective of everyone who was working offscreen/behind the scenes/in opposition to the main party. Some of the main characters will have chapters, but only when they're against the rest of the party, whether openly or not. There will also occasionally be interludes from bystanding NPCs who aren't opponents, just to fill things out. The story starts, then, with Renegades. Enjoy the ride!

"Is everyone ready?" Botta looked back at his squad, standing outside the gates of Iselia with weapons drawn. "We need to make a good show of this."

"Ready, sir!" Vidarr saluted, and the others followed suit. "Lead the way, and we'll be back at the base in time for dinner."

Botta smiled slightly. "Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves." But Vidarr was right – despite its importance, this mission wasn't expected to take long. Schooling his features into a proper scowl, he nodded once, and began marching forward.

The first encounter was the village guards. "Stand aside," Botta ordered them.

"Wh-what do you Desians want?" one of them said, holding his makeshift spear at the ready.

"Stand _aside_, and no one here will be hurt," Botta insisted, and inclined his head toward the soldiers behind him. "If you won't, I've certainly brought enough force to make you."

The guard who hadn't spoken yielded, his sword dropping to the ground in front of him, but the other held his ground. "I won't let you hurt the village!"

"Vidarr?" Botta said evenly, staring the guardsman down. His courage was admirable, but in this case unfortunate.

Vidarr took his cue, and swept the man out of the way with one massive punch. Botta nodded, and smirked coldly at the guard who'd given in. "Your cooperation will be remembered." Maybe next time, he would think twice before letting hostile forces walk in.

Once they were in the village, reactions were mostly the same. Vidarr had to knock a few more of the villagers aside, but most of them just fled in terror and locked their houses, leaving a clear path for the Renegades to make their way to the temple on the other side.

They approached the temple unopposed, the priests having no idea what was marching to their doorstep. While the Renegades could have flown to this point by Rheaird, it would have left more question as to their nature among the villagers' minds. A bunch of men in Desian uniforms threatening them as they marched straight through the village, coming from the direction of the Ranch, though...that would set a clear picture in their minds of what had happened. This time tomorrow, everyone in Iselia would believe that the Desians had attacked the Martel Temple and killed the Chosen One along with all her guardians.

"This is where the fight begins," he told the others as they made their way up the steps. "Stay on your guard, these priests are trained as fighters in order to protect the Chosen One."

Just then, a huge column of light burst from the top of the temple, causing everyone to shield their eyes. "That's the signal for the Oracle. Let's go."

Though the priests were more trained than the villagers, they were no match for the Renegades' precision and experience, and fell quickly. Botta sent Reinald to scout out the temple building and find where the Chosen was hiding, and the man quickly reported back. "Sir, the Chosen isn't here! They must have evacuated her somewhere!"

Botta turned to the head priestess, an old woman who hadn't been able to pose enough threat to warrant killing. "Where is the Chosen?" he demanded of her.

Even as he said it, a girl in prayer garments ran up, followed by a boy in red and a little half-elven boy. The priestess' eyes widened, and she called out, "Run, Colette!"

That was her, then? He'd known that the Chosen One was an innocent, no more than sixteen, but the vestments made her look younger, and Botta hesitated for a moment even as Reinald and Yolan called out to taunt the children.

And the other children...he hadn't counted on any collateral damage beyond the priests. That was a shame, indeed. But they didn't have a choice at this point, and so with a nod from their commander, the Renegades struck.


	2. Iselia Temple: Remiel

Remiel's patient smile was permanently affixed to his face as he teleported in to deliver the Oracle to the Chosen One. He eyed the motley group as he descended. It seemed that Lord Yggdrasill had been correct in sending Lord Kratos to aid them: the Seraph waited before him now, accompanied not by the temple priests, but by a pair of children who stood beside the Chosen, one of them a half-elf. He suppressed a sneer; how pathetic it was, to see them coming to support their friend, entirely oblivious to her true fate and status. But he knew what a great honor it was to have been picked to deliver this cycle's Oracle, and he could do no less than play the role of the benevolent guide to perfection.

The children stared at him in awe, unaware of Lord Kratos' indifference, and the half-elven boy said something about him being the Chosen's true father, no doubt failing to realize that Remiel's angelic hearing meant he could catch every word. Had that rumor been circulating again? These mortals were truly hopeless, but perhaps he could use their ignorance to motivate them. It would cost him nothing to pretend, after all, and the girl might be inclined to work still harder if she believed that rumor to be truth.

Finally, he greeted them, beginning his pre-rehearsed speech. Already, his thoughts were drifting toward the future. He'd heard Lord Yuan telling someone that this Chosen was the closest match to Lady Martel in centuries. If Remiel were the one to guide her on her way to becoming the perfect vessel...well, surely Lord Yggdrasill would have some grand rewards in store for him...


	3. Iselia Ranch: Forcystus

As he reviewed the tapes of the attack, Forcystus seethed with rage. How dare those little brats break the treaty and attack his men? He had three soldiers being treated for burns, and another two for concussions inflicted by the boy with the swords.

The boy with the swords...surveillance had identified him as Lloyd Irving. Technically, he didn't live in the village: patrols regularly observed him going back and forth along the forest path, out to the little house in the woods where a Dwarf lived. Forcystus had occasionally considered turning the Dwarf in to Cruxis as a runaway, but thought better of it. He wasn't causing the Ranch any harm, and having leverage over a skilled craftsman might come in handy one day.

But that was unrelated to the topic at hand. Living in the village proper or not, the Irving boy was still subject to Iselia's treaty, as was the half-elven boy who accompanied him. They would need to be taught a painful lesson about the consequences of their actions. Forcystus' eye narrowed as the boy's leap played on the tapes again. He was stronger than a young human should be, that was certain. Was it possible he had an Exsphere? But even that wouldn't account for it, unless he'd had more training than their observers could account for.

Or else... "Kyrian," he turned to his aide abruptly. "Didn't Kvar lose his Angelus Project around here somewhere?"

"Yes, sir," Kyrian nodded, and then realized what his lord was getting at. "You don't think..."

"I don't know." Forcystus shook his head and turned away from the tapes. "These images aren't clear enough, I'd need to see him fight in person." A thought occurred to him then: he could kill two birds with one stone. He smiled slowly, an expression full of malice, approving of the perfect irony. "...Find me that human woman they were visiting. I think I've come up with the perfect punishment for their disobedience."


	4. Interlude: Phaidra

Phaidra watched solemnly as Lloyd and Genis left the village. If it were her choice, they would have been allowed to remain, but she knew deep down that it wouldn't have mattered: either way, Lloyd would have gone after Colette, and Genis would have followed. She sighed. They had been such good friends to her granddaughter, and it broke her heart to have lied to them about Colette's destiny all this time...especially now that she knew they would be witness to the truth. Perhaps there was still some chance that Raine could shield them, but even so, Colette would not return from the Tower of Salvation. It was hard enough for her and Frank, to lose Colette as well as her mother, but at least they had always known that the poor girl would face this path one day.

"Make her last months good ones," she murmured at their figures that were already receding into the distance. "And...I'm so sorry." With that final confession, she turned around and began to shuffle slowly back to the house, to comfort her poor son.


	5. Sylvarant Base: Renegades

Yuan glared at the guard who stood in front of him. "And just how did he get out?"

"H-he wasn't in a magic-suppressing cell, sir," the guard stammered. "Because he was a human, a-and they don't have magic..."

"He _doesn__'__t_have magic," Yuan told the man. "He was standing right in front of me, I'd have noticed."

"Y-yes, sir," the guard replied uncertainly. "But sir...he burned me from across the room. That's why I left..."

Yuan pinched the bridge of his nose with one hand, eyes squinting shut. "You're dismissed. But tell Lyon his training techniques are coming under review at the next staff meeting, and he'd better have some answers."

The soldier saluted and fled, leaving Yuan to ponder the meaning of Lloyd being able to cast fireballs despite having no magic. Aionis didn't change a person's genetic structure, after all...perhaps if his mother had been treated with it, but she hadn't been. And either way, Yuan would have been able to sense it on him.

But what else could give a human abilities like that? A Sorcerer's Ring could have, of course, but that was ancient magitech. There were so very few of them even left, usually reserved for-

...For the Chosen's journey, to unlock the temple puzzles. And the Chosen's journey through Sylvarant started at the Iselia Temple. Which was exactly where they'd discovered Lloyd. Yuan groaned and let his head hit his desk, just as his office door whooshed open again.

"You have Lyon frightened," Botta noted calmly, observing Yuan's frustration as he sat heavily in the chair before his leader's desk.

"Good," Yuan said shortly. "How are your injuries?"

"Better," Botta nodded. "...I wish I could have been more use."

Yuan shook his head. " The moment Kratos knew he was here, it was over - I can't blame you for that. It's probably better that he escaped on his own, actually. I'd hate to see what would happen with one of the Seraphim hacking his way through our base in a fit of rage."

Botta suppressed a shudder, and had to agree. "...But you aren't letting the guards off the hook, either."

"Of course not," Yuan replied firmly. "The fact that things worked out for the best is no excuse for incompetence."

"And speaking of which," Botta continued, "I have the report on what happened to the rooms with mechanical security systems..."

Yuan cut him off. "Lloyd had a Sorcerer's Ring," he said. "We didn't plan for that - who would? And I can guess the rest of it: the guards assumed the rooms with those systems were secure, and didn't bother checking them, right?" At Botta's nod, he grimaced. "It happens every few years, they forget that the traps are only meant to slow intruders down long enough for them to be caught. One of the things I mean to talk with Lyon about."

Botta sighed. "So...what do we do now?"

"We wait," Yuan sighed as well. "I have a backup plan in place for dealing with the Chosen, and as far as Lloyd...we'll just have to keep our eyes open for another opportunity. It won't be easy getting to him as long as Kratos is with them, but once we've killed the Chosen One, his task will be done..."

"...Giving us the opportunity to take Lloyd hostage." Botta nodded his approval. "I assume Hiroshi's associate is the backup plan you mentioned?"

"Yes, but don't let him hear you call her his associate," Yuan replied. "I don't think he likes her much, his older brother was killed in the incident with Volt. ...She should be catching up with them soon. Until then, it's business as usual. We need more Exspheres - the most recent shipment from the mines has gone to Kvar's ranch..."


	6. Seal of Fire: Remiel

Unknown to the party (except, of course, Lord Kratos), the Oracle Stone produced a signal that alerted Derris-Kharlan to the Chosen's approach when it was triggered. And so when they arrived to defeat the seal's guardian, Remiel was already waiting out of sight, in an area specially designed to allow the Chosen's 'guiding angel' to watch the proceedings.

The creature, a manifestation of the sleeping Efreet's power, was defeated handily, vanishing into a burst of fire mana as it expended the last of its life, and then it was time for his performance. He fixed a gentle smile upon his face once again, and descended upon the group, greeting them as warmly as he was able. The Chosen was supposed to be his daughter, after all, and if he was to use that to keep control, he should try to win her affections.

She seemed oddly hesitant when he emphasized their 'bond', but responded nonetheless. Good. Then again, they were always obedient little fools, weren't they? It didn't matter what lies they were told - they were trained from birth to believe and not question. Most of them were almost eager to sacrifice themselves, to give their meager lives some purpose. If only all the humans could be trained to understand their fate that way.

With a wave of his hand, he triggered the device that would infuse her crystal with mana and begin the transformation process, and had to hide his derisive smirk at the expressions of wonder on the children's simple faces. If only they knew...but of course, it was not their place to understand. Not until it was already too late.


	7. Ossa Trail: Sheena

Sorry for so much delay on this. ;; Life kind of caught up with me for a while there. And I'm not sure how good I am with Sheena, but this is her first chapter of two or three, depending on whether I follow my original timeline or revise it some. Enjoy!

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><p>Sheena took a deep breath, and then another, fiddling anxiously with the guardian card between her fingers. They would be coming soon...a group of trained adventurers and the Chosen One, with only herself, her guardian, and Corinne standing between them and Tethe'alla's destruction.<p>

Yuan had spoken of them dismissively, assured her that most of them were children, that the only real threats among them would be the mercenary and the Chosen One herself. But Yuan was a lot tougher than she was...what if he'd overestimated her?

"Sheena," said Corinne's tiny voice near her ear, and she glanced at the colorful fox kit on her shoulder. "Are you worried, Sheena?"

"W-well, yeah," Sheena told him defensively. "I mean...everything's riding on me. This isn't just about me...this is about Mizuho's reputation, and saving Tethe'alla from destruction. ...What if I mess this up, too?"

"It's okay," Corinne told her, puffing up his fur to look larger. "They have a long way to go. Even if you don't make it this time, we have plenty of chances."

Sheena set her jaw. "I'm not going to need more chances. ...I'm going to take them down here and now, before they can get any further!" Before they could get any stronger, or more prepared for an attack...

They might already be. She hadn't told Corinne that before they left Triet, she'd tried sneaking into their room to take out just the Chosen One. She'd expected someone like Zelos, not...a sweet-looking little girl. And so she'd hesitated, and the Chosen had opened her eyes, and Sheena had had to flee. She didn't know how much the girl had seen, how much trouble they'd be expecting along their path.

It didn't matter. For the sake of her honor, her village, and her world, Sheena would kill the Chosen and her guardians...or die trying.


	8. Interlude: Kratos

Surprise bonus update! I'm going to try to do at least one update per weekend from now on. (My weekends are in the middle of the week, go me and my crazy work schedule.) This one is a little longer than the last one, and turned out more interesting than I expected.

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><p>As they finally left the Ossa Trail, Kratos was lost in thought. The children were discussing something up ahead - he could hear Colette planning to befriend the assassin they'd just faced down, the next time they encountered her.<p>

It was good, he thought distantly, that even the Chosen was aware that they would have to face her again, since she'd escaped them this time. He'd deal with her delusions of befriending the woman when the time came.

What had Kratos more worried than anything was the woman's clothes. He'd told them that there were people who rejected salvation, a vague enough answer to satisfy, but if his suspicions were true, then this situation was the opposite. She'd been dressed like a Mizuho ninja, something that didn't even exist to Sylvarant. Which could only mean that she'd been sent from Tethe'alla to kill Sylvarant's Chosen One, thus preserving salvation for her own world at the expense of this one.

It was ludicrous. Tethe'alla didn't know anything about Sylvarant...or at least, they shouldn't, any more than the Sylvaranti should know about Tethe'alla. Her presence here would be a serious breach of that silence. ...But the more he thought about it, the more it was the only explanation that made sense.

How had she crossed the barrier between the dimensions? There was the polar issue, of course - she might have come through the Otherworldly Gate, but that still left the question of why she would have done so, who could have set her on this mission. The only realistic explanation, then, was that someone involved with Cruxis had sent her, or at least been responsible for the information that led others to send her. Someone who knew how their systems worked, someone in a position to leak information about one world to the other.

He scowled at a nearby tree. Yuan was making himself difficult to ignore. Officially, Kratos knew nothing about the Renegades and who led them, aside from Botta who headed many of their critical missions. Unofficially, Kratos had noticed that their activity increased the longer Yuan spent away from Derris-Kharlan, combined with them acting and reacting in ways that suggested an inside source. And Yuan's displeasure with Mithos and his methods, though carefully kept under wraps in their lord's presence, was all too plain when he was alone with Kratos.

...But that was unnecessary speculation. Technically, Kratos still had no proof, and he wasn't about to seek it. The ninja girl would have to die, of course, and Kratos would have to inform his lord that there was likely a traitor somewhere in their ranks, but he wouldn't voice his personal suspicions further than that. He owed Yuan at least that much, especially when he was beginning once again to have doubts of his own...


	9. Palmacosta: Magnius

New chapter! Not as fast as I'd hoped it would be (I am terrible at meeting self-imposed deadlines, I should have known better), but at least slightly more consistent. Magnius is more fun than I thought, too, too bad he only gets two chapters. Tangentially, it's kind of amazing how much influence Rodyle actually had on the plot, mostly behind the scenes. You'll see that more as we progress.

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><p>As soon as the healers had finished bandaging the wound the swordsman had given him, Magnius shoved them aside and stalked out of the infirmary, fuming. How the hell could a human be that strong? Even one who felt like mana...even if he had some trace of elven blood, it was impossible that someone could have risen to that level without the Desians being aware of him.<p>

But more important was what the human had said. Those red eyes had met his own sternly as if trying to convey a message, and Magnius had heard it loud and clear: the girl traveling with them was the Chosen One. So it seemed that Kvar's pet project had decided to use his strength for the Chosen's benefit, and that made things more complicated. Killing or capturing Lloyd was all well and good, and making the Chosen suffer the loss of a friend would speed up the process of activating her crystal, but Magnius knew well it would be his neck on the line if he accidentally killed the Chosen One in the process. Lord Yggdrasill wouldn't hesitate to kill him for undoing sixteen years of work, especially since it looked like this one might actually be the perfect match.

When he reached his control room, he headed for the projector immediately, and slapped the button that would call Rodyle. Rodyle would know what to do.

The scientist's grinning visage appeared before him as the connection opened up. "Lord Magnius!" Rodyle cried in insincere glee. "And to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Can it, Rodyle," Magnius growled. "We've got trouble with the Angelus Project."

"I had heard that he was making his way into your area," Rodyle acknowledged. "Don't tell me he's proved too much for you after all!"

"Don't be an idiot!" Magnius replied with a scowl. "If it was that simple, I'd have slaughtered him already, but the little coward's gone and hidden himself behind the Chosen One. I don't want to know what Lord Yggdrasill would do to the person that killed her in a crossfire, do you?"

Rodyle's eyes widened in surprise behind his glasses. "Oh, but haven't you heard? Lord Yggdrasill's declared that this Chosen One is unsuitable after all."

He had? "I hadn't heard," Magnius admitted. "I only just got back to the base. So the girl is fair game, then?"

Rodyle nodded with a grin. "We're free to dispose of her at any time – just be sure to bring back her Cruxis Crystal once the deed is done."

Magnius laughed. "Well, that makes it easy, then! I'll just track them down, and kill two birds with one stone!"

"Oh, but why waste the time with tracking?" Rodyle replied, eyes glittering with malice behind his glasses. "Just use your little pawn in Palmacosta, and you can bring them right to you!"

Magnius listened to Rodyle detail out his plan with an increasing feeling of satisfaction. Once he'd brought back the Angelus Crystal _and_ killed off the forsaken Chosen, he was sure Lord Yggdrasill would reward his loyalty and service. It was only a matter of time now...


End file.
